A couple years before I moved to Las Vegas, I decided to try
an experiment on one of my visits. The
deal was that I was going to make an attempt to actually interact with everyone
I came into contact with. If I went to a
sundry shop to get a bottle of water or with the desk clerk when I checked into
my hotel, I would attempt to have a genuine connection and see what happened.
In general, we say certain things when we are in a position
to interact with strangers, especially in the retail world. “Hi, how are you?” Oh good, yeah, me too. Have a good one.” Sound familiar? Probably the same conversation you have with
most people you are not friends with. A
brief, considerate, nearly scripted conversation. But what if it was taken to the next level?
Going from the Phoenix airport to my Vegas destination, my
efforts were not proving fruitful. There
was little time to take advantage of and people in some of those positions
seemed to be strongly focused on their work, not leaving much opportunity for
interaction. I didn’t give up,
though. I knew there was more room for
opportunity.
Once I arrived at my hotel, I found my first opportunity at
the check-in desk. The young lady that
waited on me seemed genuinely surprised when I said, “You are YOU doing today?” It wasn’t just the words but the honesty in
them. I knew I was just another face to
her that was either making her do work or helping her pass the time, depending
how she looked at it. Either way, it was
more the way I asked than the words I used.
There were probably other factors such as my demeanor, expression and
whatever else. In the end, she seemed to
relax her shoulders and go about her work and got me checked in much more
quickly than I was used to. I told her I
hoped she had a wonderful rest of her day and moved on.
Later that day, I wanted a snack so I went to one of the
hotel stores and made a purchase. Same
thing with the cashier. I had heard her
greet a couple customers in line before me.
Plain, cursory conversation as she probably sees a few hundred people a
day that could care less she is there as long as someone rings them up. Same line, “How are YOU today?” This time met with a huge grin as she stood
more upright and relaxed her muscles. We
shared a quick but warm exchange and, as I walked away, “I hope you have a
great rest of your day.” She replied “You
too!” The best part was, as a made sure
to fumble a bit getting my receipt into my wallet, I heard how warmly she
greeted the next customer. I made an
impact! It may not last long or it may
but, at the very least, for a moment, I made a positive impact.
The rest of the trip continued that way but the journey home
was the best of all. It was a fairly
slow day at the airport and I was getting my boarding pass. The lady there warmed up when I offered my
caring phrase and we started talking which brought a heart-warming story out of
her. She told me about the time one of
her co-workers had been left at the counter, alone, and was overwhelmed with
customers but management wouldn’t send anyone to help her. Her cash drawer ended up being over $100
short and she was getting hysterical.
She was sure she was going to lose her job and the customers overheard
her telling her boss. They took up a
collection and paid the missing money for her.
People joining together to help a complete stranger just because they
could see what she was going through and wanted to help her feel better. Amazing!
So try it for yourself.
Genuinely take an interest. It
doesn’t have to turn into a life-long friendship and yes, sometimes, you will
get people that are happy to keep talking beyond what you wanted. But take an interest. Show someone you are glad they came into your
world. Maybe they will treat the next
person they see a little better and that person will also.
Every little bit of joy matters. Let me know how it goes!
Cheers,
Scott
